Truly great leaders, when in a position to influence important events, make the right choices and change things for the better when no one else was able or willing to do so. I am a person who changes to This is especially true for those who sacrifice their own best interests for the greater good. The late Sen. Joe Lieberman was a truly great leader.
Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, was a man of many accomplishments, but his greatest accomplishment was supporting the so-called “surge” during the Iraq War, almost single-handedly leading the United States and its allies to a devastating war in Iraq. It saved me from a terrible defeat. The political tide was almost overwhelmingly against him. This was done at great personal and political cost, from which he never truly recovered.
There is limited value in re-litigating the decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein. I think even most supporters of this decision would admit that what followed was much more difficult than expected and had many unforeseen side effects. Conversely, acting as if the Middle East is stable because Hussein is in power is a foolish and ahistorical argument. Hussein has incited two destabilizing wars within a decade (one against Iran, one against Kuwait) and would have provoked more given the opportunity. Iraq could have gone down the same path as Syria or Yemen, or even worse. No one knows how historical counterfactuals will play out.
But what should probably be re-litigated is the broader discussion about this surge, which probably saved the United States, innocent Iraqis, and the wider region from catastrophe.
From 2006 to 2008, nearly all Democrats wanted to defund the Iraq War, as their support base demanded, but a significant number of Republicans also felt politically unpopular. Because of his popularity, he wanted the war to be stopped.
It was Lieberman and his longtime Republican friend John McCain who prevented the defeat of the US coalition forces and their Iraqi allies. For more than two years, this unlikely duo, aided by Lindsey Graham, strengthened the backbone of Republicans and weakened the spirits of ill-advised anti-war Democrats with their strong support for the Iraq surge. . The result: more troops and new strategies.
I’ve talked to people who were senior Senate staffers at the time, and they said that the Senate was often one vote away from stopping the war and defunding it. Mr. Lieberman and Mr. McCain have reached a breakthrough. By any reasonable measure, this surge was a huge success, allowing America and its Iraqi allies to score a clear victory. It was certainly a qualified victory, but it was far better than the disastrous defeat that would have otherwise followed.
This strategy was generally unpopular, and although it was the best option available, there was no guarantee of success. Mr. McCain bet his presidential campaign on it, and Mr. Lieberman bet his political future on it. This surge ultimately paid off, creating heroes like General David Petraeus. As a reward, McCain was nominated as the party’s presidential candidate. But Lieberman’s story was different.
Mr. Lieberman’s political future was already in jeopardy, having been ousted from his party and forced to run for re-election as an “independent Democrat.” His partnership with McCain ended his viability as a political candidate, but he must have known the outcome to be expected. Although he achieved significant bipartisan accomplishments in his final term as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, he was a man living on borrowed time as a public official. He did not seek re-election in 2012. His subsequent involvement in the “No Label” movement only reiterates that he remained a figure with many supporters, but he had no political party.
Understanding why this happened is disillusioning. As it turned out, Lieberman’s support for the war was not unique. Prominent Democrats such as Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Chuck Schumer supported the war. What is unique is that Lieberman, unlike others, chose to spend capital against his own political self-interest to win the war, long after the fateful choice to invade was made. . The remaining countries chose their own political skin over the interests of the United States, the innocent Iraqi people, and the relative stability of the entire Middle East.
Next to George W. Bush and perhaps Dick Cheney, Lieberman remains the name most associated with war. The reason is pretty obvious. First, Mr. Lieberman, unlike his fellow Democrats, refused to play backwards games and chose what was best going forward. Second, Lieberman suffered from the oldest prejudice. He became the target of anti-Semitic stereotypes and completely baseless accusations of dual loyalty. Other complaints concerned his moderate stance on various social issues, his famous “kiss” to George W. Bush, and his opposition to the so-called “public option” in Obamacare.
With the exception of Mitt Romney and perhaps Liz Cheney, no one currently in a politically prominent position has yet paid as much a political price as Joe Lieberman for taking an unpopular stance that was necessary in the national interest. No one paid.
The context is even more noteworthy. The support for Mr. Lieberman’s rise in approval ratings was not made in a vacuum, but to support the administration that lost the vice presidential position in a close race that ultimately reached the Supreme Court. Ta. To imagine such things from, say, Donald Trump is confined to the realm of comedy.
Many politicians forget that at some point they have to choose what is truly important and worth spending political capital on, even at the cost of losing their jobs. Otherwise, you risk becoming irrelevant. This is a mistake Lieberman did not make. His reward was a victory for America and its allies. The cost of losing his party and ultimately his Senate seat was a price he would never regret. That’s what makes Lieberman a great person. If even one-tenth of our political leaders had Lieberman’s skill, foresight, and courage, America would be a better place. Rest in Peace, Senator. May your memory be as great a blessing to America as your life.
Cliff Smith is a lawyer and former Congressional official. He lives in Washington, DC, and works on national security-related issues. His views are his own.
